Middle eastern spiced lamb shanks

This has a middle eastern flavour but is not genuine middle east, however, the ingredients are from Iran, Morocco and a little bit of Spanish thrown in for good measure!  It's a beautiful dish and makes a beautifully rich sauce that is just divine :)  As it's so rich, be careful what you serve it with.  I made a bulgar wheat salad with a mix of roasted and raw vegetables and this worked really well, all the family came back for more.

Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
2 lamb shanks
1 large knob of butter
2 large onions, roughly chopped
6 garlic cloves, crushed
1 unwaxed lemon, zest and juice
2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cumin
A good pinch of saffron strands (optional)
1½ heaped tbsp tomato purée
1 dessert spoon clear honey
400ml lamb stock
2 teaspoons quince jelly

Method
Heat oven to 160C. Heat the oil and butter in a large casserole. Season the shanks, then brown in the oil for 10 mins until golden all over. While the shanks are browning add the onions and garlic to the casserole and cook with the lamb - once the lamb's done, they'll be turning golden too.

Add the lemon zest and all the spices to the casserole and cook for 1 min, then add the tomato purée, honey, stock, the lemon juice and quince jelly and stir to combine.  Bring the casserole to a simmer, then cover with a tight fitting lid and braise in the oven for 2½-3 hrs.

Once the meat's done, spoon away any excess fat, then check the consistency and if it looks a little thin, remove the lid and reduce the whole lot until it's a good, thick, rich gravy.  Season to taste and serve with rice, salad or my bulgar wheat salad recipe.

Vietnamese style crispy pork

This is originally a recipe from Ainsley Harriott but I've modified the ingredients to suit our own taste.  We love eastern dishes as you can no doubt see, and I also love pepping up dishes with a little extra heat and some lime juice, so be warned, hopefully it isn't too hot for you.

Ingredients
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
1 dessertspoon garlic/ginger paste (you can make your own, but I buy it bottled online)
450g extra lean pork mince
1 red chilli, topped and tailed and finely chopped1 bunch of spring onions, trimmed and chopped into rounds
1 large bunch fresh coriander leaves, chopped finely
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 limes, 1 zested and juiced, the other cut into quarters
75g dry roasted peanuts
3-4 little gem lettuces

Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan or wok, then add the garlic/ginger paste and cook for 30 seconds, then add the pork mince, mix well and fry over a high heat, moving continually until it's crisp.  Take if off the heat and drain quickly to stop the cooking process.

Add all the other ingredients except half the coriander leaves, the lime quarters and the lettuce and mix it together well.

Arrange the lettuce leaves in a serving dish so they cover the bottom, then spoon the meat mixture to cover the leaves.  Finish with the remaining coriander on top and add the lime quarters around the side.

Serve with rice or bread.

Thai style fried rice

I'm really pleased with this one, it works brilliantly with Thai food, but can be used as a salad too as it's just as good cold.  The original recipe was made with pineapple and I'll definitely do it with that as I love the combinaiton of acid and sweet that comes with fresh pineapple, but cashews work really well too.  You judge and let me know with a comment what's your favourite.

Ingredients
5 dessert spoons Jasmine rice
5 baby sweetcorn cut into 1cm lengths
70g fine beans, top and tailed and cut into 2cm lengths
1 tablespoon groundnut oil
1 teaspoon finely chopped root ginger
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 large tomato, finely chopped
1 green chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
75g roasted, salted cashew nuts
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
½ teaspoon ground white pepper

A small handful of fresh, chopped coriander to serve

Method
First cook the rice - I find it takes 10 minutes to cook in boiling, salted water.  1 minute before the rice is cooked, add the sweetcorn, beans and garlic into the pan to blanch for the final minute.  Drain and leave to cool slightly.

Mix the soy sauce, sugar and pepper together and set to one side.

Heat the oil in a wok or frying pan and when smoking add the rice and all the other ingredients except the chopped coriander and stir fry them for 2 minutes until everything is nice and hot.  To server, put the rice on a warmed plate if serving immediately and scatter the chopped coriander over the top.

Chicken and Coriander burgers

I made these as I wanted a good, fresh taste. I ended up frying them and the family loved them that way, but I'll probably grill them next time, or even better cook them on the barbecue. I served them with a black cherry jam, but that wasn't too good so I'll not put that recipe up, but I think a sour cherry jam would work really well with these. Fresh coriander oil would also work well, or to make it a little more eastern, why not try a Thai dipping sauce?

 

Ingredients

1 chicken breast and 2 chicken thighs
1 small onion
3 garlic cloves
A large handful of coriander, stalks included
1 green chilli, chopped
50g white breadcrumbs
Salt & Pepper
Juice of ½ a lime
1 tablespoon olive oil

Method
Peel the onion and garlic. Roughly chop the chicken, onion, garlic, coriander and chilli and add them to the blender with the salt, pepper, breadcrumbs and lime juice, then blend for a short time so they're well chopped but still have a little "chunky" consistency.

Form the mixture into patties, then cook them under a high grill until nicely browned.  Serve with salads of your choice.